Didier's Return, Nov 12, 2008: Didier Drogba scores against Burnley in the
Carling Cup and celebrates by throwing a coin into the away end.

In the turbulent months that followed, the striker's future at Chelsea looked far from certain.

He wasn't getting on with Luiz Felipe Scolari who seemed to favour Nicolas Anelka. Drogba was hampered by niggling injuries, his poor form was compounded by shameless playacting and links with Jose Mourinho wouldn't go away. In fact, Drogba looked set for a reunion at Inter Milan.

Contrast that situation with Saturday's happy scene as Chelsea welcome back Burnley to Stamford Bridge, this time as counterparts in the Premier League. The bloke in so much bother last November looks a new man under Carlo Ancelotti. Actually, that's wrong. He looks like the player who spearheaded Chelsea's attack during those title-winning days under Mourinho.

Committed, focused and super-fit, Drogba leads a charge that should take his team close to silverware this season. Even better, he has cut out (for now) those annoying theatrics, the dying-swan routines that used to so devalue the rest of his game. As an added bonus, the centre-forward is developing a lethal part-nership with Anelka. Where before they played like strangers, now they work in tandem, looking for each other whenever possible. Last Sunday at Fulham, Anelka set up Drogba for the opening goal before the roles were reversed to confirm an easy win.

That sort of combination used to be a familiar sight in the days before one-man attacks and the art of rotation. Not quite so now, which is a shame because you can't beat a couple of front runners on the same wavelength. Yet the early signs suggest Chelsea boast exactly that. And in Drogba they seem to have their old player back.

One of the few things I've got in common with Michel Platini, the Uefa president, is that I, too, once took a dive to win a penalty. Whereas the great French midfielder admits to simulation on a few occasions, my one and only moment came against Benfica in the European Cup.

While I'm not particularly proud of it, the point is virtually every professional has taken a tumble at one time or another. It's instinct. You know the tackle's coming so you go down in anticipation. That's not an excuse, merely fact and it's what happened with Arsenal's Eduardo in the week. No, he wasn't fouled by Celtic's goalkeeper but probably thought he was about to be so, in a split second, decided to make it look good.

It happens all the time and that's why I can't understand Uefa's indignation, deciding to charge the striker for 'deceiving the referee'. They're on dangerous ground because noone knows for sure what the player was thinking. It's impossible to say how the 'dive' came about.

You could say the same of Wayne Rooney a few years back when he won a penalty against Arsenal after Sol Campbell stuck out a leg without making contact. What will happen if something similar happens on Saturday? Will the Manchester United striker be retrospectively punished? Or will the episode simply be treated as human error on the ref's part?

I know the most sensible course of action. It's a pity Uefa don't.

PULIS BUILDING BLOCKS

To many, Tony Pulis is the archetypal British manager of old, an up-and-at-'em merchant, someone who doesn't want all that tippy-tappy stuff in midfield, rather demands an early ball into the box.

They would, of course, be right. Up to a point. Last season Stoke City survived in the top flight principally through a combination of Rory Delap's long throws, the height and weight of players fighting for such set pieces and James Beattie's ability to feed off the scraps.

But Pulis wants more. He wants the side to develop. By taking Tuncay Sanli from Middlesbrough you can see his intentions. Starting with Sunderland, the talented Turk's skill and vision will lend Stoke another dimension. Under Pulis, building work in the Potteries clearly isn't based on clay.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Thomas Vermaelen: It has been a promising start for Arsenal's new centre-half. Interesting, then, to see how he gets on against the champions.